378 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS 
CHAP. 
big plateau, where we shot the sage-hens. He got 
savage now, and was determined to push by me 
and gain the forest; but I rode right at him, and 
seeing that I couldn’t- stop him, I fired my six- 
shooter to turn him, just as he made a dash at the 
horse. He made another rush at the horse, and I 
turned him with another shot, within a couple of 
paces’ distance. This made him take off in a new 
direction, and he tried to cross the big plateau, 
intending, no doubt, to get to the forest a couple of 
miles away on the pointed hill. It was so dark that 
I could hardly see him, and my only chance was to 
ride round him, and work him till he should stand 
quiet enough to let me take a steady shot. 
“He went on, sometimes here, sometimes there, 
and at last he changed his mind, and seeing that he 
couldn’t get away from the horse across the open, 
he turned, and made for the lo mile forest. It was 
as much as I could do to drive him, by shouting 
and cracking my whip whenever I headed him; 
if I had only once let him get out of sight, 
I should never have seen him again. The ground 
is full of stones, as you know, which bothered the 
horse in turning quickly ; but we went on, sometimes 
full gallop straight away, at other times dancing 
round and round, until at last the old bear got 
regularly tuckered-out, and he was so done he could 
hardly move. There he was, with his tongue 
hanging out of his mouth, standing, panting and 
blowing, and my horse wasn’t much better, I can tell 
you. Well, I was drawn up as close to him as 
